Tisanes: France’s Quiet Answer to British Tea
When we explore tea in much of Europe, the emphasis tends to drift toward the United Kingdom. The knot of nations bounded by sea took to Camellia sinensis centuries ago; today, tea represents one of the cultural foundations of all those rain-soaked countries.
Cross the English Channel, for France, and the kind of tea adored in the U.K. suddenly loses its heart-of-society status. Rather, coffee captivates French mornings—café au lait sipped from bowls, the blend of coffee and milk also welcoming croissants and tartines for dipping. If French people sip coffee later in the day, it’s tidy cups of espresso.
But tea still occupies prominent real estate in the French imagination, through tisanes, or herbal blends. The French are mad for them; you’ll find gorgeously decorated tins of tisane across the country, including in French pharmacies, where it’s sold by weight. The mass-market brand Éléphant has been around since 1896.
How do the French drink tisanes?
The French sip tisanes, also called infusions, across their days. These herbal blends are especially popular after dinner—they serve as digestifs, without the alcohol. Ordering a verveine—tea brewed from lemon verbena leaves—after dinner is as common in France as a shot of espresso or a glass of amaro is in Italy.
Other popular infusions include tilleul (linden/lime blossom infusion, immortalized by Proust, who recalled dipping his madeleine in tilleul brewed by his grandmother), chamomile, mint and orange blossom.
There’s even a phrase, “une petite tisane,” which the French often say as bedtime approaches. They seek herbal tea to calm nerves and promote serenity.
While the word tisane isn’t widely used in the United States, herbal tea most certainly figures into our beverage customs. Mint tea stands as the classic. Boxes of chamomile tea line grocery shelves. But it’s herbal blends that have rooted deeply in the United States. Rather than just a cup of brewed mint leaves, Americans go wild for blends containing a multitude of ingredients.
Guess what? We’ve probably got the largest inventory of herbal blends in Colorado. Many of the botanical ingredients are organic. We fuss over blends, adding a diversity of leaves, roots, seeds, blossoms, spices and more to yield a staggering volume of bespoke beverages. When it comes to our herbal blends, our tisanes, we invest a lot of attention and care.
We drink blends year-round. But summer serves as blends’ high season. With Memorial Day behind us and the summer solstice just weeks away, let’s all start brewing, and savoring, Colorado-style tisanes!
Ku Cha Tisanes: Tuscan Grove
New blend alert! We created this gem while dreaming of Tuscany—the pastoral beauty, the leaves and blossoms. You know—the whole enchantment of the place. This one leads with a favorite French tisane botanical—silver linden. Not only does this plant taste wonderful, it may also help reduce anxiety, reduce inflammation and support healthy blood pressure. To this we added lemon balm, lavender, rose, blackberry leaf, apple, orange peel and mallow bloom. Sip this beautiful tea after work, and savor the setting sun.
Ku Cha Tisanes: Ginger Refresh (Organic)
For centuries people around the world have consumed ginger—it serves as a powerful digestive aid, and is extremely common in most Asian cuisines, from Korea to India. People brew it, too; doing so mellows some of its bite, allowing the beautiful flavor to shine. Our Ginger Refresh stands on a ginger foundation, with lemongrass, peppermint, licorice and lemon peel added for flavor and additional digestive advantages. Brew a pot of this treat in the morning, and kickstart your day with positive vibes. Cold brew it, and park a pitcher in the fridge. Slowly sip a hot cup after dinner; your stomach and sleep will thank you.
Ku Cha Tisanes: Rooibos Chai (Organic)
Is chai a tisane? All chais contain a variety of botanicals other than Camellia sinensis. Given the density of ingredients other than traditional tea, we think chai and tisane are close sisters. Our Rooibos Chai dispenses with Camellia sinensis altogether, turning to the South African shrub rooibos for its earthy structure. The chai bit—cinnamon, ginger, anise, black pepper, cardamom, cloves and bay leaf—turns this tisane into a spectacle of bold flavor and cozy comfort. We love it with pastries in the morning, and we often brew a pot of this caffeine-free treasure after dinner, to enjoy with a small cookie or just on its own. Pro tip: This one takes quite well to milk and sweetener, which is the Indian way of sipping chai.
Ku Cha Tisanes: Cha Relax (Organic)
The French brew tisanes for many reasons, including straightforward deliciousness. But they also appreciate the functional benefits that some tisanes deliver—including relaxation. We crafted this special blend with CU Boulder’s Center for Humanities and the Arts (CHA), to give scholars an easy and effective way to ratchet back the deep thoughts after long days of stressful work. With herbal and lovely green rooibos as a base, this tisane also contains ginkgo leaf (a well-studied balm for mental fitness), elder flower, chamomile and spearmint. It’s scrumptious—and very relaxing.
Ku Cha Tisanes: SereniTea
More rooibos? Of course! We think it stands as an outstanding partner in any tisane. The South African plant provides electrolytes, antioxidants and loads of rich flavor. In addition, rooibos can give heft, in the manner of Camellia sinensis, without the caffeine. This oh-so-calming tisane, perfect for brewing once the day’s pressures and responsibilities have evacuated, contains pomegranate, pomelo, orange, carrot, sage, lavender and safflower. Fruit, herbs, flowers, even carrot’s color and savory notes—this tisane has got it all!
Ku Cha Tisanes: Tulsi Twist (Organic)
If you haven’t yet tried tulsi, now’s a good time to give this majestic plant a whirl. According to Ayurvedic medicine, in which tulsi is revered, the plant reduces inflammation, invigorates the mind and relieves fatigue—without caffeine. It also can support kidney and liver health. Also known as holy basil, tulsi is a powerful, multi-tasking botanical, with wonderful anise-like flavor. This healthy and yummy tisane also contains ginger root, lemon peel, strawberry leaf, marshmallow and lavender. Start your day with it. Improve your afternoon with Tulsi Twist. Sip it cold with dinner, or hot to send you off to bed. It’s a dreamboat of an herbal blend.
